


And Then There Was a Kitten

by MaroonCamaro



Series: Domestic Bliss [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Genre: (just one), Fluff, I'm Bad At Titles, Kittens, M/M, No Smut, alternative universe, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 08:19:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4997548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaroonCamaro/pseuds/MaroonCamaro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow up to Puppy Love</p><p>Daryl and Rick have a lot of love in their little family. Enough for a dog even.  But is there enough for a kitten too?</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Then There Was a Kitten

**Author's Note:**

> For my lovely [ArchLucie](http://archiveofourown.org/works/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bquery%5D=archlucie) , who is a bright shining star of a beta and friend. 
> 
> Thank you to [MermaidSheenaz](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MermaidSheenaz/pseuds/MermaidSheenaz) for being a sneaky pete and betaing this for me on the down low. :)

“So tell me again why those guys are kissin’?” Daryl asked.

“Well, you can build relationships in the game. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or a guy, as long as you put the time in.” Rick answered as he watched the action on their big screen TV.

Rick liked to play video games, and Daryl, well Daryl had better things to do with his time than sit and watch someone else run around shooting at things. But if Rick wanted to do it, more power to him.

Daryl was rocking side to side while patting Carl’s back, the motion long practiced.  Rick didn’t even look up from his game, so intent on taking out...whatever it was he needed to take out.  It was routine by this time, this little tableau.

“Carl have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow?” Daryl asked.

“Next week,” Rick answered with a flurry of button pushing. “Damn it!”

Daryl tilted his head at the screen, trying to figure out what was going on, but all he could see was flashing lights and guys in metal suits running around.

Rick sighed dramatically and the screen froze as he pushed a series of buttons and stood up and turned to Daryl, “I paused it, don’t wanna wake Carl.”

Carl snuffled his head into Daryl’s neck, letting out a small whimper. Rick smiled and ran a hand down the baby’s head, his eyes traveling from their son up to Daryl’s tight blue eyes. Daryl leaned in and gave Rick a slow, easy kiss. A promise for later. Rick tilts his head, settling his forehead on Daryl’s and his hand to the back of Daryl’s neck.

“Let me put him down and take the dog out.” Daryl whispered.

Rick nodded and gave a little squeeze to the back of Daryl's neck before letting him go. 

Daryl hitched Carl up on his hip a bit better, the baby was more of a toddler now at two and was just getting to the point of not wanting to be held all the time. But he still needed a snuggle to fall asleep. Daryl was better at lulling him to sleep, Rick did better at running after him all day. So Daryl got to have this little moment and take Carl to bed. 

After laying Carl in his crib Daryl he got Bobby the dog to take him out. It was usually a good excuse to sneak in a cigarette. They generally stayed in the backyard in the evenings so Daryl could just let him run around and not worry about him to much.  

Bobby tended to race around and sniff at all the plants, occasionally trying to dig.  Rick would have Daryl’s hide though if the dog ever managed to dig up one of the plants. Daryl followed behind Bobby to keep an eye on him, not so easy in the dark. Bobby was a chubby black dog who was surprisingly quick on his feet.

When they got back around to the porch there was a huge moth flying around the light, and of course Bobby started barking at it.

“Shut up or you’ll wake the baby!” Daryl hissed at him.

Bobby’s frantic barking turned into occasional yelps and whines as he tried to capture the moth.  The damn thing must have been the size of Daryl’s hand and was black with brown stripes that looked like branches for camouflage.  It flittered just out of range of Bobby, driving the dog nuts.

Daryl was about to swat the bug, when a little black kitten came out of nowhere and charged up Bobby’s back to leap off his nose and grab the moth right out of the air.  Daryl’d never seen anything like it.

Bobby was barking at the kitten, who ignored him as he was busy playing with the now injured moth.  The kitten didn’t seem one bit concerned about the fifty pound dog barking at him as he batted at the moth that was valiantly trying to get away. Daryl ground his teeth and wondered when his back yard turned into an episode of  _Wild America_.  When Bobby got braver and actually tried to nip at the little ball of fluff he got a spitting fire ball fighting back instead.  

Daryl was just about to step in and toss the spitting and hissing thing when the kitten raised itself up on it’s hind legs and aimed his claws at Bobby’s nose, no fear evident a thing that was about the size of Bobby’s ear.  Bobby yelped and backed up so quickly he fell on his ass. Daryl finally slogged into the melee, trying to rescue the dog from the vicious attack on his nose, chuckling at his dog’s cowardice.

That was about the time Rick stuck his head out the back door to gripe, “What the hell Daryl?  He’s gonna wake up Carl.”

Daryl growled low in his throat, “I know that!  There’s a moth and a kitten and he won’t shut up about it.”

“Bobby!” Rick called sharply.

Bobby whined and turned to Rick.  

“Get your ass in here,” Rick said as he motioned behind him for the dog to go in the house.

Bobby turned back to the kitten and gave one last try at a sniff, but the kitten hissed and bared its claws.  The dog accepted defeat and tucked tail and ran by Rick into the house.

Daryl looked down at the kitten who was innocently licking at a paw.  The moth seemed to have taken the opportunity to flee when the kitten’s attention was on the dog.

“Where the hell did that thing come from?” Rick asked as he came out onto the porch with Daryl.

“No fucking idea, came out of nowhere.”

“Well it needs to go.” Rick made shooing noises at the kitten, trying to get it to run off.  The thing just tilted his head at Rick and gave him a curious look.

“Don’t think he’s scared of ya,” Daryl chuckled.

“See if you can get it to go then,” Rick said, exasperated.  

“Yeah, all right.” Daryl said as Rick gave him a quick peck and then went back in the house.

The little kitten looked up mournfully at Daryl.  It didn’t look so scary now, just sad and hungry. Sighing, Daryl dug out the doggy treat from his pocket that he’d brought for Bobby and tossed it on the ground. The kitten attacked the morsel, purring and making the cutest little noming noises Daryl had ever heard.

The tidbit was gone in just a few seconds, the kitten looking to Daryl for seconds.  Daryl put out his hands to show they were empty, “Sorry little dude, ain’t got any more.”

The kitten gave a sad little meow that just about broke Daryl. “No, you go on now. We don’t need another pet.”

He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like the kitten was pouting as it wandered off into the dark.  As Daryl got to the back door, he turned back to make sure the kitten was gone, but all he could see were two eyes peering at him from the dark.

***

The next evening was the same domestic scene with Rick in front of the video game again, this time shooting at aliens, while Daryl took a sleeping Carl off to his bed.

Daryl slipped two treats into his pocket this time, for no particular reason whatsoever, before calling to Bobby to take him out.

Bobby didn’t notice the kitten sitting on a patio chair as he raced out the door to do his business and nightly patrol, but Daryl did.  He smirked at the little thing before cautiously reaching out a hand to scratch it between the ears.  The kitten leaned into Daryl’s hand and purred, making Daryl’s smile grow a bit bigger.

After Bobby had finished with his sniffing and digging (Daryl’d only caught him after he saw dirt flying near the petunias) he came up to Daryl and peered around at the kitten.  The kitten gave a low hiss, which was enough to send the dog backtracking to the door, more than ready to go in.

Daryl shook his head at the dog’s cowardice before tossing one of the treats in the general direction of the kitten.  Daryl was so distracted by the two animals he didn’t notice the two plastic bowls sitting to the side of the door and tripped over one.  He narrowed his eyes at them, Bobby was always fed and watered inside the house because Rick was worried about attracted wild animals.

“Hey, Rick” he called out as he came in the house, “What’s with the bowls on the porch?”

Rick hunched up his shoulders as his character on the video game got shot and fell over.

“Um, well, the kitten was making a fuss at the back door this morning and Carl got upset.  He uh, said we had to feed the kitten.”

“Carl said we have to feed the kitten?” Daryl asked, skepticism dripping from every word.

“Well, no. Not exactly. He said we had to ‘feed da baby doggy’.”  Rick said with air quotes and a poorly attempted impersonation of their baby’s speech.

“Oh, I see.” Daryl said with good humor.

“I’m gonna take it to the pound tomorrow.” Rick said as he turned back to his video game.

Daryl rolled his eyes at that.  Because taking a stray to the pound had worked out so well last time.  Now here they were more than a year later with a big noisy dog and no more white carpets.  

“Ok then,” was all he said.

***

Daryl stopped at the pet store on the way home to pick up a new toy for Bobby, and maybe look into what all they would need for a cat.  Not that they were keeping the cat, because Rick had said he didn’t have time to deal with another pet, but just in case.

“Oh, hey Daryl!” Aaron, the cashier said as Daryl stolled in. “Did Rick forget something?”

“What?” Daryl asked in confusion.

“Rick? He was in here a couple of hours ago. I swear, Carl grows at least an inch every time I see him.”

“Did he get a new toy for Bobby?”

“Oh, no. He got all this cat stuff.  Said ya’ll had a new pet.” Aaron cheerfully said.

“Ah, right.” Daryl replied.

He found a replacement toy for the one that Bobby had ripped the squeaker out of and paid without further discussion of new pets.

***

“Rick!” Daryl called as he stepped through the door.

“In here!” Rick called back from the kitchen.

Bobby met him at the door like he did everyday.  Daryl patted and rough housed with him a bit before tossing the new toy into the living room. Bobby gave an excited little bark before attacking the the stuffed animal. Daryl chuckled and headed toward the kitchen, Bobby following, happily chewing on his new toy.

Carl was in his highchair eating oaty o’s as Rick made dinner, a sight that Daryl stopped to savor. His musings were interrupted when Bobby scrambled into the kitchen, nails clicking on the linoleum. The kitchen soon filled with the sounds of squeaking, growling, and baby laughter. Which was a bit much for Rick, so Daryl grabbed the toy from Bobby and scooped Carl out of his chair and took them both outside.

Daryl deposited Carl on the grass and tossed the toy as far as he could, sending Bobby hightailing after it.  Carl squealed with laughter as Bobby mock attacked his toy.  

Bobby then brought the toy back and dropped it at Carl’s feet, making the baby clap his hands.  

“He wants ya to throw it,” Daryl told him.

Carl carefully reached down for the toy before tossing it as hard as he could.  The toy sailed about five inches, landing right in front of Carl.  Of course this was highly entertaining to Carl and Bobby.  The dog picked up the toy and ran off, only to circle right back and drop it at Carl’s feet again.

This little game went on until a certain black kitten came sauntering from the side of the house.  Daryl was surprised to see a little collar around it’s neck, complete with a name tag, ‘EITD’. Daryl wasn’t sure how to pronounce that and figured it was something Carl had come up with and Rick had indulged him.

Carl flopped down on his rear and held out grabby hands for the kitten.  Daryl was about ready to swoop in and catch it because he’d seen how vicious the thing could be, but it ambled right into Carl’s lap, purring the whole time.

Bobby looked disappointed when he came back and saw that his playmate was otherwise engaged, but let it go with a huff as he flopped down next to Carl.  He’d already lost that fight, the kitten - or EITD - was higher up the pecking order now.

Daryl winced as Carl grabbed a handful of kitten tail and jerked, but the kitten just batted Carl’s hand away, claws contracted back. Seeing that Carl was in no immediate danger, he decided to pop his head in the door to check on Rick.

“Hey man.”

Rick turned from the stove with a smile, “Hey.”

“So, the kitten?” Daryl asked with a gleam in his eye.

“Oh, well.  Carl saw him today while we were playing outside, and the kitten came right up to him and let Carl poke and prod him. He said the baby doggy needed a bed like Bobby's and toys too,” Rick said sheepishly.

"That why you went to the pet store today?" 

"Aaron told you?"

Daryl nodded and looked back at their little family happily rolling around in the grass, nipping and pulling tails.  He could guess that it was Rick that fell in love with a very similar scene and not so much Carl falling in love with the kitten.  

So now they would have a baby, a dog, and a cat.

And Daryl was ok with that.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you didn't expire from the fluffy-ness of this little fic. Love ya Lucie!
> 
> I'm on Tumblr ya'll! Come visit me! marooncamaro


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